Telecommunications networks often include cables that extend from central installations through one or more cabinets or enclosures to reach the customer. Within these enclosures, a variety of equipment may be mounted to provide signal processing, splitting or accumulation, and also may provide cross-connections between different cables. The enclosures provide security from accidental or intentional damage for the equipment mounted within and also provide weather protection from environmental damage. Cable entering the enclosure may pass through a cable seal which ensures a weather tight seal between the cable and the housing.
Once a cabinet has been assembled with equipment and has had cable led into the interior and connected to the equipment, it may be desirable to change the housing to replace damaged elements. Such damage might be caused by an automobile accidentally impacting the enclosure or a construction accident. It may also be desirable to change an undamaged portion of a pre-assembled cabinet for another portion which is a different color, to comply with customer needs. For changes made to the cabinet for any reason, known cabinet housings and cable seals require that an end of the cable pass through the cable seal. This may require cutting and reterminating many of the cables or elements of the cables extending into the cabinet. Improvements to existing cable seals and cabinet housings are desirable.
It may still further be desirable to extend additional cables into an enclosure to expand existing service. Often, it is desirable to use pre-terminated cables to speed installation and to reduce the amount of fieldwork required. Known cable seals and housings do not permit easy entry of pre-terminated cables into existing enclosures and also provide weather tight seals between the cables and the housings. Additionally, it may be desirable to assemble a cabinet about a cable which has already been connected to equipment which will be mounted within the cabinet, rather than having to make the cable-equipment connections after mounting the equipment in the cabinet.
Improvements to these known cables seals and cabinets housings are desirable.